Freedom Within

She decided to free herself, dance into the wind, create a new language.

And birds fluttered around her, writing “yes” in the sky.

Monique Duval

Do you feel free? Sure, we say that we have freedom, but do you feel free? So many feel bound by a job they hate, a toxic relationship (romantic or friendship), lack of money, health issues, concern for the future, sadness of the past, and the list goes on and on and on. None of that sounds like freedom to me. It actually sounds, and feels like, prison – being bound by your situation or a past or present circumstance. So many sit in that prison, making excuses on how the chains are bound and locked, and yet we do have freedom and the choice to go after that freedom. We have freedom to make decisions. We have freedom to get help. We have freedom to remove negative people out of our lives. We have freedom to find another career. We have freedom to stop allowing the health issues to imprison us. We have freedom to live in the now and we have freedom to create the future. We have freedom if we allow our soul to be free.

And so as we come upon the week of Independence Day, perhaps it is time to celebrate your personal freedom and not just celebrate the 4th of July as America’s birthday. If you don’t feel free, take the means, if only baby steps, to find the key that can help unlock your personal prison.

Sometimes just finding some personal moments in your life which offers you the taste of freedom can help inspire you. I love the feeling of my toes in the water and breathing in the sea air. Or sitting in a whitewashed chair with a cold lemonade in the countryside. Or simply wearing my most comfortable jeans, white cotton oversized t-shirt, no makeup and reading a good book. Or lunch with a best friend. Or hugging my husband first thing in the morning. Or laughing with my kids as we blow bubbles. The list is endless.

Remember that it is you that has the key to your freedom, nobody else does, and you have the combination to that lock. Shrug off your chains, remove your blindfold and walk into the light of your freedom.